Saturday Blitz
Fansided

15 Greatest QB/WR Duos of All Time

By Nicholas Valdez

Aug 8, 2015; Canton, OH, USA; Fred Biletnikoff during the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 8, 2015; Canton, OH, USA; Fred Biletnikoff during the 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 17
Next

1971: Nebraska

Jerry Tagge and Johnny Rodgers

The 1971 Huskers smashed opponents on both sides of the ball, scoring 39.0 points per game while only giving up 8.0 points per game. They scored over 500 points on the season while only giving up 104 points cumulatively to the teams they played.

Their quarterback, Jerry Tagge, was wide-bodied and strong. He was named MVP of the Orange Bowl at the end of the 1970 season, and then was named MVP of the Orange Bowl again the following season. Both of those Husker teams went undefeated behind Tagge.

Of course, Tagge had help.

To call Johnny Rodgers a running back is inaccurate. The truth is, there isn’t a name yet for what Johnny Rodgers was. He was more than any of the positions he played.

However, since he had more receptions than rushing attempts in 1971, more than double the receptions of any other Husker receiver that season, and since it would be an injustice to leave this duo off this list, we’re going to call Johnny Rodgers a receiver, for now.

In ’71, Tagge was second in the NCAA in pass completion percentage (59.7), third in the country in total touchdowns (26), top five in passing efficiency rating (149.2) and passing touchdowns (17), and top ten in passing yards (2,178). He also finished seventh in the Heisman voting.

Yet as good as Tagge was, it was Rodgers who turned the football field into a work of abstract art. His 57 receptions were top ten in the NCAA, as were his 956 receiving yards, and he was top five in the nation in receiving touchdowns with 11. Rodgers received Consensus All-America honors.

Nebraska’s only test all season was in the “Game of the Century” against Oklahoma, a game in which Rodgers played the role of Techmo Bowl Bo Jackson–before Techmo Bowl and before Bo Jackson. And a game in which Tagge would become the first Husker to exceed the 2,000-yard total offense mark in a single season.

Nebraska went 13-0 under coach Bob Devaney in ’71, winning the Orange Bowl, 38-6, over Alabama. They were the Big 8 Champions and National Champions, finishing #1 in the final AP Poll for the second straight season.

Home/College Football News